East Coast Severe Weather Personal Hardship Assistance

Introduction

If you have been affected by the East Coast Severe Weather event, you may be eligible for a personal hardship assistance payment.

The payment is to help pay for food, medication, clothing, temporary accommodation and other essential needs.

Your residence must be located in a suburb in the defined Impacted Area:

The list of eligible suburbs may be updated from time to time. The most recent update was made on 14 July.

Note: This support is in addition to the Disaster Recovery Allowance and the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment available via Services Australia. For more information and eligibility criteria visit Services Australia.

Closing date

Applications are closed.

Payment amount

A one-off payment of:

$180 per eligible individual; and
$180 per dependent (up to a maximum of $900 per application).

Eligibility

You must:

be aged 18 or over on 18 May 2025
live at an address in the Impacted Area on 18 May 2025 – the list of eligible suburbs may be updated from time to time:
- suburbs listed 30 May to 9 July
- suburbs listed from 10 July.
be impacted by the East Coast Severe Weather event
as a result of the East Coast Severe Weather event, require emergency financial assistance to meet your immediate needs or the needs of your dependents.

If you were aged under 18 on 18 May 2025 but don't live with an eligible person, you may still be eligible if you meet the other criteria. You will need to apply in person at a Service NSW Centre, Mobile Service Centre or Recovery Assistance Point with the required documents.

What you need

a proof of identity document that shows your full name and date of birth
a MyServiceNSW Account
- you can create one when you start your application
- you may need details from 2 identity documents (such as Australian driver licence, Medicare card, passport)
your Australian bank account details for payment.

Supporting documents

Have the following documents ready to be uploaded in JPG, PDF, PNG, or TIF format:

a document that shows your name and impacted address (must be exact impacted postal address, not a supply address or PO Box) – this may include:
- a utility bill issued between 18 November 2024 and 18 May 2025
- a copy of a residential tenancy agreement current as of 18 May 2025
- Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care card or Commonwealth Seniors Health Care card current as of 18 May 2025
- council rates notice issued between 18 November 2024 and 18 May 2025
- vehicle registration notice issued between 18 May 2024 and 18 May 2025 (this excludes Digital Vehicle Registration)
- letter from Centrelink, Medicare, Service NSW, Transport for NSW, Australian Taxation Office, or other government agency  issued between 18 November 2024 and 18 May 2025
- other evidence that supports proof of residency on 18 May 2025
names, dates of birth and Medicare details for any dependents included in the application.

Contact

For more information:

call Service NSW on 13 77 88 or
submit an enquiry online.

Request an Internal Review of a decision about a grant application

If you do not agree with a decision we have made about your grant application, you can request an internal review.